Passengers planning to head to or from London by train over the long Easter Weekend should be prepared for disruption as Network Rail engineers move back on to the main line.

The line will be closed south of Ingatestone from Good Friday to Easter Monday with passengers being taken by bus to the Central Line station at Newbury Park.

There will also be no through trains between Colchester main line station and Clacton from Saturday to Monday because of work to a bridge between the main line and Colchester Town.

Network Rail’s Team Orange will work the equivalent of 13,000 hours to carry out a package of vital improvements between Gidea Park and Forest Gate during the four day period as part of the company’s Railway Upgrade Plan:

Nearly 4.8km of new overhead wire will be installed at a key junction in Ilford, as part of a £249m project to install a new wiring system that automatically adapts to temperature changes to reduce delays and improve reliability

Engineers working on overhead wires at Gidea Park on the rail line to London. Picture: NETWORK RAIL

In one of the largest engineering projects in the country, nine switches and crossings units and four fixed pieces of track will be installed at Gidea Park. These allow trains cross over smoothly between tracks and will improve operational flexibility and reliability

Further work will also take place in the run up to completion of the eastern section of the Elizabeth line at the end of the year.

These improvements will last for decades to come and help to provide a more reliable service to the growing numbers of passengers using the busy mainline.

Meliha Duymaz, Network Rail’s route managing director for Anglia, said: “This Easter our work is focussed on future-proofing the busy main line for the growing number of passengers using it. I would like to thank passengers for their patience while we carry out these important upgrades.”

Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia Managing Director, said: “Together with Network Rail we’re working hard to make the railway in East Anglia fit for future generations. We’ve got 288 buses booked and we will have extra staff working for the Easter weekend to make sure our customers can complete their journeys during this period.”